


Joy to the (Parallel) World

by Ellana17



Series: Christmas Cheer [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry travels to another Earth by accident (again), Christmas, M/M, Parallel Universes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-10
Updated: 2016-12-10
Packaged: 2018-09-07 17:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8810011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellana17/pseuds/Ellana17
Summary: “I don’t know how things are in your own universe, Barry, but you clearly don’t know anything about my current situation,” Oliver pointed out rather coldly.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My brain makes some weird connections sometimes, I was thinking about parallel universes, Christmas and an old Smallville episode (“Lexmas”, season 5). Need I say more?  
> This takes place after Invasion (3) (provided that Barry and Oliver have both been each other’s love interest from the start of the show).  
> Title taken from the Christmas song (I like Johnny Cash’s version).

When Barry stopped running, he found himself in a bedroom he had never seen before. He looked around him quickly, trying to assess his situation and trying to find out exactly how much trouble he had got himself into this time. The Speedster froze when he saw the person lying in bed. He noticed the tattoos and the muscular chest first. When his eyes traveled to the man’s face, Barry gasped. What was he doing in Oliver’s bedroom exactly?

Oliver turned on his side at the sound and opened his eyes. He stretched lazily and smiled. “What are you doing all the way over there?” he asked in a voice still rough with sleep. “Come back to bed, we still have time.”

“Oliver!” Barry exclaimed as he caught Oliver’s eyes. He would have recognized them anywhere.

“You okay there, Barry?” Oliver mumbled, trying – and failing – to wake up properly.

“That’s a question I can’t answer right now,” Barry said, his voice rising in panic. The only explanation to the situation was that Barry was still dreaming. He had had those kinds of dreams before; though he had to admit that in those specific dreams Oliver definitely had no shirt on.

Oliver sighed and rubbed his eyes. “What year are you from?” he asked gingerly.

Barry glanced at the man. He could not remember ever seeing Oliver this relaxed before.

“You’re surprisingly calm about this,” Barry pointed out. Barry himself could not say as much. He only now started to understand the situation but Oliver seemed already ten steps ahead of him. Time travel. Typical.

“Believe it or not, that’s actually not the first time I wake up with someone who’s not my Barry,” Oliver answered with a smirk.

Barry lowered his gaze, suddenly unwilling to look at those bright eyes one more second. He could feel the start of a blush making its way to his cheeks.

“December 2016,” he answered simply as his eyes travelled across the room. The room was not familiar but the sweater on the floor was definitely something he would wear and Barry could make out some of their friends on the pictures by the window. He caught a glimpse of a picture of Oliver and Barry themselves, smiling back at him. Barry groaned.

“It’s December 2016 here as well,” Oliver trailed off as he sat on the edge of the bed. When Barry finally looked back at him, he was pleased to notice that Oliver was finally looking appropriately freaked out.

“Not time travel then,” Barry pointed out. “It’s another Earth.”

“I’m sorry- what?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Barry said in a weak voice. “I can travel to other universes,” Barry explained to cover up his awkwardness. “It’s kind of a long story.”

Oliver shook his head as though to clear his thoughts. “Well, at least we’re not naked this time,” he pointed out with amusement.

Barry nodded absent-mindedly. “And why’s that?” he asked. “Not that I’m complaining mind you- I mean, I’m sure you’re quite impressive under that shirt, I’ve actually witnessed it firsthand but huh-”

Oliver bit his lips, trying hard not to laugh; Barry appreciated the effort, at least. A sudden knock on the door startled him.

“That’s why,” Oliver stated as the knocking became more and more insistent.

“Come on! Get up!” More knocking - well, pounding would be more accurate. “Dad, come on! We’re supposed to go shopping this morning!”

“Is that-?”

“My son, William,” Oliver answered as he slowly got up. “Come on, he can be very persistent and he’ll just come barging in if we take too long.”

“Is he living with you?” Barry asked, not quite managing to get his head around the thought. He always knew Oliver would be a good father even if the man did not believe it himself but he had not been ready to witness it so soon.

Oliver slowly nodded. “His mother passed away last year.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Come on,” Oliver said as he grabbed Barry’s arm. “And please, do try to act normal. William doesn’t know anything about the life I used to live, so no talk about other universes, alright?”

Oliver left the room as Barry was still processing what the man had just said. The life he _used_ to live?

As Barry followed Oliver to the kitchen, he could not help but look around the house. It was relatively small and cozy and all in all very different from the penthouse Oliver occupied back in Star City. It was also messy, Barry noticed. The toys lying around the living room were proof enough of Oliver’s new status as a dad but the biggest shock for Barry was finding some of his own books and science magazines scattered on the coffee table. He quickened his pace and entered the kitchen where William was already wolfing down a whole bowl of cereals while Oliver had just started making an omelet.

“Hi,” Barry said with a faint smile before sitting down. He crossed his hands over his laps and tried not to fidget too much. He could feel Oliver watching him out of the corner of his eye and the scrutiny made him even more nervous.

William answered him with a radiant smile. “My friends are going to be so jealous that I got the new Flash action figure!” the kid exclaimed enthusiastically. “When do we leave?” he suddenly asked Barry.

The Speedster was so startled by the question he almost drop the mug of coffee Oliver had just given him. He turned to Oliver who seemed to notice the panic look in his eyes. “As soon as you’re dressed, buddy,” Oliver answered. William finished his breakfast quickly before running upstairs.

“What’s going on?” Barry finally asked.

Oliver sat down with a coffee of his own. Barry still had a hard time wrapping his head around this new and more relaxed version of Oliver Queen. The tightness with which his held the mug in his hands was the only giveaway that he actually might not be as calm as he wished to appear. “You two planned to go Christmas shopping today weeks ago; you even asked Cisco and Caitlin to cover Flash duty for you so that you could free your morning,” he explained.

“Oh,” Barry exhaled. A sudden thought occurred to him. “You’re coming with us, right?” he asked.

Oliver shook his head. “I told you, you two planned it. William loves spending time with you – well the you from this universe – and you two get to geek out all morning.”

“Oliver, look, I should already have called Cisco and Caitlin,” Barry started.

“I know,” Oliver cut in. “I’ll take care of that.”

“I shouldn’t stay long on this Earth and I should definitely not be spending time alone with your son if you truly want to keep him away from the vigilante part of our lives.”

“I know, Barry. We need to figure out how exactly you got here and I need to know where my Barry is but I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. William’s really been looking forward to today and I don’t want to spoil it.”

“I’m not sure that’s-”

“Don’t think too much about it,” Oliver recommended as he gently nudged Barry outside the kitchen. “William likes you, I’m sure he won’t notice anything’s wrong.”

Barry huffed but decided to drop the matter for the moment. He made his way to the bathroom and tried to ignore as much as he could every other clues that screamed that he was actually living in the same house as Oliver. It was all for nothing, of course and he felt like fainting when he opened the closet and found his clothes beside Oliver’s business suits.

Barry picked some clothes as fast as he could and closed the closet hastily before making his way back downstairs. William was already waiting for him by the door, practically jumping up and down. With one last desperate look to Oliver, Barry opened the door and came out of the house. He instantly recognized the neighborhood at least. They were in Central City. Barry almost cracked a smile; of all the crazy things he had seen that morning, the fact that Oliver lived in a house in a quiet neighborhood in Central City seemed the craziest of all.

Reassured by the fact that he actually was in his own city, Barry took the wheel and drove them to the mall. He let Oliver’s kid do most of the talking, which was a bit unsettling given that Oliver himself was a man of few words.

“That’s so cool!” the kid exclaimed as soon as he got his hands on the newest Flash action figure. Barry smiled brightly. “You always do that,” William pointed out as they queued up.

“I always do what?” Barry asked, confused.

“You always smile like that when I say the Flash is my favorite,” William explained. “It’s weird.”

“Well,” Barry cleared his throat awkwardly. “That’s because he’s my favorite too.”

William shook his head. “Your favorite is the Green Arrow,” he reminded him. “The Flash’s actually Oliver’s favorite. And Aunt Thea’s too.”

They managed to find gifts for both Oliver and Thea as well. By the time they finished, the mall was so crowded, William had to hold on to Barry’s jacket not to get separated. They made a quick stop to Jitters on their way back to the house; William wanted a hot chocolate and Barry needed a new coffee fix to go through that crazy day.

When they came back to the house they found Oliver on the phone. He turned to William as soon as he hung up. “Barry and I have some errands to run. Go grab a bag,” Oliver told the kid. “You’re spending the afternoon with Joe.”

“Cool!”

“And bring your homework while you’re at it,” Oliver added as William disappeared upstairs.

“Joe?” Barry asked in disbelief. “As in my foster dad Joe?” Oliver nodded. “Since when have you been getting chummy with my dad?”

“Since I had to care for a ten-year-old by myself,” Oliver stated. “Joe helped me through it; he basically adopted William as his grandson.”

“That’s-” Weird. “Nice,” Barry said. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“S.T.A.R. Labs. I arranged a meeting with the team from Star City, Caitlin and Cisco. If they all get their mind to it, they’ll get you home in no time.”

They dropped William off to Joe’s house. Barry stayed in the car and let Oliver handle the situation. After all he had seen in one single morning, he could not bear the idea of meeting a new version of Joe. Being alone for the first time since he had arrived in this brave new world finally allowed Barry to think about his situation. Being with Oliver and playing house with him in Central City all seemed awfully appealing and he would be lying if he said he had never thought about Oliver like that. However, he could not believe this world’s version of Barry Allen would be okay with Oliver simply dropping out of the vigilante business for good. Barry would have been okay with it if Oliver had been doing it for the sole purpose of keeping William safe of course but Barry felt it was only an excuse, a cover up for some bigger issue. After all, Oliver allowed Barry – The Flash – to live in the same house as his son. The situation simply made no sense to Barry.

Oliver suddenly opened the door and climbed into the car.

“Next stop, S.T.A.R. Labs,” Barry pointed out cheerfully. “Look, I know it’s not my place to say anything-” he started warily.

“Then don’t,” Oliver cut in.

“But I can’t believe the Barry from this universe would be okay with you wallowing in self-pity!” Oliver’s glare did not deter him. “You’re a hero! You inspired me! You still do!”

“And you’re doing a better job at this than I ever could,” Oliver stated calmly.

“Bullshit!” Barry exclaimed. “I now you think you’re doing the right thing by William but let me tell you, you’ve got an amazing kid and he deserves to get to know his dad – his _real_ dad – not this half-assed version of yourself.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Barry.”

“Look, I know you probably had the exact same conversation with your Barry like a thousand times already. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on here because you say you want William away from that part of your life but you let him live with the Flash. Isn’t that contradictory? You have absolutely zero reason not to be the Green Arrow anymore.”

“I don’t know how things are in your own universe, Barry, but you clearly don’t know anything about my current situation,” Oliver pointed out rather coldly. “I don’t have to justify myself to you.”

“Tell me one thing, then. Isn’t living with me putting him in harm’s way?” Barry countered.

“He’s not _your_ son!” Oliver exclaimed. Barry recoiled at the sudden outburst. He did not recall ever seeing Oliver that angry before. “Barry…”

“You’re absolutely right,” Barry said without looking at Oliver. “I have no right to judge you. As you said, I don’t know you, not this version of you anyway.”

They both stayed silent after that. Barry could not help but fidget, feeling trapped in the car. He wished he had just run all the way to S.T.A.R. Labs instead.

S.T.A.R. Labs was exactly as it was supposed to be at least, Barry noticed. Caitlin and Cisco were both hunched over the computer screen in the Cortex when Barry and Oliver entered the room.

“Barry!” Caitlin greeted with a smile. “You go by Barry, right? Or does everybody call you Bartholomew on your Earth?” she asked with a frown.

Barry could not help but smile at her. “Yeah, no,” Barry trailed off. “I don’t think there’s an Earth where I actually go by that name.”

“Did you call the team?” Oliver cut in.

“They should be getting online right about now,” Cisco stated as a window popped on the screen. Barry walked over to the computer and was greeted by Felicity’s smiling face. She waved at him.

“Hey Central City,” she greeted.

“Hey guys,” Barry said, waving back at Felicity, Dig, Laurel and Thea.

“You didn’t return any of my calls,” Thea told him sternly.

Barry frowned but Oliver cut in before he could ask exactly why Thea had been calling him of all people. Then Barry remembered that they were practically in-laws on this Earth.

“That’s why I asked Cisco to call you guys. Barry here,” Oliver pointed at Barry without taking his eyes off the screen, “is actually from another universe.”

“What do you mean?” Dig asked, clearly confused.

“I got this,” Barry told Oliver. “You see, there’re multiple versions of Earth,” Barry started, moving his hands around as he spoke. “And they all occupy the same place in space but they can’t see one another. Now, I realized not so long ago that when I run fast enough, I can create breaches across the multiverse and travel to other Earths.”

“So, you’re saying that you can travel to other universes?” Dig asked. “And I thought life couldn’t get any weirder.”

“Well, he does travel through time so why not through the multiverse,” Felicity pointed out, turning to Dig. That was the moment Barry noticed the wheelchair. He turned to Oliver but the former vigilante was still avoiding his gaze.

“The point is,” Barry resumed, “I need to get back to my Earth but I need your help.”

“Of course,” Caitlin said. “What do you need?”

“The first time something like this happened, it was an accident,” Barry explained. “I was running way faster than usual but what I don’t understand is how I got here. I wasn’t even running that fast.”

“You weren’t?” Cisco asked with a frown.

Barry shook his head. “There’s no way I could have created a breach,” he told them.

“Guys,” Oliver cut in. “We need to know what happened to our Barry.”

“Of course, Oliver,” Caitlin said with a reassuring smile.

“You said that all those universes occupy the same place in space, right?” Cisco asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“And from what you saw here, would you say that our universe is similar to yours?”

“Aside from a few differences, yeah, it is,” Barry answered, glancing at Oliver. “Where are you going with this?”

“Well, this is just an idea but what if the more similar two universes are, the closer they actually are in space, you know. I think that when you opened that breach, our Barry was standing really close to it without knowing it. You’re both Speedsters, right? You’re sensitive to the Speed Force. He probably got kind of snatched by the breach and ended up on your Earth.”

“You’re saying that I'm Speed Force sensitive now?” Barry asked, amused.

“Am I the only one not getting this?” Dig asked.

“I’m with Dig on this one,” Laurel chimed in.

“It kind of makes sense actually,” Caitlin agreed reluctantly.

“Or we could be facing entropic cascade failure and the universe is simply trying to balance itself out,” Cisco stated. Everybody looked at him blankly. “Stargate, anyone? Did none of you watch Stargate? What is wrong with you people?” he exclaimed. He turned to Barry. “I'm so disappointed in you right now.”

“I did,” Felicity raised her hand.

“That doesn’t explain how I got here in the first place,” Barry pointed out. “Or how I’ll be getting back to my Earth.”

“Guys,” Caitlin cut in. “Don’t you think Barry – our Barry, I mean – could have done it by accident?”

Cisco turned to her. “He has been trying to get faster but he would have needed the-” he trailed off and practically ran out of the room.

“What’s going on?” Oliver asked warily.

“It’s not here anymore,” Cisco said when he got back.

“Mind explaining what’s happening over there?” Felicity asked.

“We’ve been trying to increase Barry’s speed for weeks, ever since Hunter Zolomon showed up,” Cisco explained. “I made several prototypes of the Tachyon Enhancer and one of them is missing.”

“So you’re saying that Barry took the device and what?” Felicity asked. “Why wouldn’t he say anything to you?”

Caitlin and Cisco exchanged a meaningful glance. “Well,” Caitlin started hesitantly. “Barry’s been trying really hard to increase his speed lately. He didn’t exactly say why but it wasn’t that hard to figure out. He wanted to get faster to protect the people he cares about. I think he feels responsible for you now that you’re not the Green Arrow anymore,” she said, turning to Oliver.

Oliver shook his head with a small smile and Barry was shocked to notice the sheer amount of emotions in the man’s eyes for once. He did recognize one of them that Oliver often directed at him, something close to fond exasperation.

“I knew it,” Barry blurted out. It suddenly felt as if every eyes in the room were on him. “I knew your Barry couldn’t be fine with that situation. He could get hurt, pushing himself like that.” Barry exclaimed, ignoring Cisco and Caitlin’s protests that they would not let anything happen to him. “And all because he’s trying to protect you.” He felt weird voicing his thoughts out loud. Barry even had to admit that he understood what his counterpart must have been feeling; Oliver was very much a hero in his own universe and Barry still felt the need to protect the man.

“You’re saying it’s my fault,” Oliver stated coldly.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Barry exclaimed. “You’re the one always acting as if you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“Excuse me,” Oliver told them before storming out of the room.

“I’ll talk to him,” Diggle said from Star City, already taking his phone out of his pocket and disappearing from the screen.

“You are such a lovable dummy,” Felicity told him.

Barry turned to her, surprised. “You already told me that once,” he pointed out.

“Did I?” Felicity asked, intrigued. “Well, it’s the truth,” she shrugged. “Oliver’s worried sick about his missing boyfriend,” his friend told him. “You should cut him some slack.”

“I should probably apologize to him,” Barry admitted reluctantly.

“It could help,” Felicity acknowledged. “I get you’re not together in your universe.”

“Not even close,” Barry sighed, running a hand through his hair. “He’s just so- You know,” he said, waving his hand around trying to carry out his meaning. Felicity nodded. “He actually told me once that guys like us didn’t get the girl. I mean, can you believe the guy?” he exclaimed.

He heard Laurel chuckle in the background. “None of you are girls, though,” she told him with a smirk. “So his reasoning doesn’t really apply, does it?”

Barry froze. He had not thought about it like that before. “You're absolutely right. That's actually kind of great,” he exclaimed with a delighted laugh. “I'll be sure to tell him that next time.”

“We should really get going,” Felicity said, checking the time on her phone. “I promised my mom and Quentin we wouldn’t be late this time.”

“Quentin?” Barry frowned. “Do you have a boyfriend I don’t know about?” he asked.

Felicity made a face. “Ugh! Gross. Quentin Lance’s my step-dad,” she explained.

Barry gaped at her. “Lance married your mom?” he exclaimed. “So, you’re like step-sisters now?” he asked both girls.

Laurel beamed at him. “Yeah, it’s actually pretty awesome.”

“And now we can officially say that all Lance’s daughters have slept with Oliver,” Felicity noted humorously.

“I don't need you to tell me that,” Barry told her.

“He’ll come around, don’t worry,” Felicity said quietly.

“Come on, Oracle. Let’s go home. Bye Barry, it was nice meeting you,” Laurel said.

“It sure was interesting,” Felicity added, grinning.

“Bye.”

Oliver had disappeared after their fight and still had not come back to S.T.A.R. Labs several hours later.

“You can spend the night at my place if you don’t want to go back to Oliver’s,” Caitlin suggested. Barry nodded.

Oddly enough, Caitlin’s place was exactly the same than on Barry’s own Earth.

“Here’s the living room,” Caitlin told him.

“I know,” Barry could not help but interrupt. “I’ve actually been here before.”

“Of course,” Caitlin nodded, trying to hide her surprise. “I’ll fetch you some blankets,” she said, exiting the room.

Barry jumped slightly when he heard the phone on his pocket ringing. He took out the device that actually belonged to the other Barry and was surprised to see William’s name on the screen.

“Hey, buddy,” he said.

“I'm sorry, I'll tell him it's all my fault!” William started, distressed. “I shouldn't have been listening in on his private conversations but I knew he was keeping something from me, please come home!”

“Wow, back up buddy. What's going on?”

Barry heard William take a deep breath. “I’ll tell Dad it was my fault,” William said again. “I know you and Oliver had a fight because of me, but please come home! Dad's been moping for hours, I'll tell him it's not your fault that I found out.”

Unfortunately, Barry had still no idea what the kid was trying to tell him. “Look, William, your dad is mad at me but it's not your fault. Wait- what do you mean you found out?”

“I know that you're the Flash,” William told him and Barry gulped. “And that Oliver was the Green Arrow before he started living in Central City, and I know he didn't want me to know and now I've ruined everything,” William finished pitifully.

Barry had no idea what to tell the kid. His distress must have shown on his face because Caitlin rushed to him as soon as she came back into the room with a pile of blankets in her arms.

“William, listen to me,” Barry said as the kid started sobbing. “You didn't do anything wrong,” Barry assured him. “I was a jerk to your dad and I said things I shouldn't have. Look, I promise everything's going to get back to normal soon, you have nothing to worry about.”

“So you're coming back home, right?” William asked quietly.

“Not tonight buddy,” Barry answered. “Caitlin needs my help with something.”

“Is it Flash related?”

Barry smiled. “Yeah,” he told William. “Actually, it is.”

“Cool,” William said. “Be careful then,” he added.

“I will,” Barry assured him. “Bye, William,” he said, knowing that there was a pretty good chance he was saying goodbye for good.

“Is everything okay?” Caitlin asked after he hung up. Barry nodded. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through right now, Barry.”

“I’ve seen worse, believe me.”

Caitlin put a comforting hand on his arm. “We’ll get you home, I promise.”

When Barry woke up the following morning, it took him a second to remember why he had spent the night on Caitlin’s couch. He groaned and let his head fall back against the pillow.

When the two of them arrived at S.T.A.R. Labs, they found a very highly caffeinated Cisco working in his workshop.

“Good, you’re here,” Cisco exclaimed, putting down a screwdriver with more force than necessary.

“Have you even slept?” Caitlin asked, concerned.

“I did,” Cisco assured her. “I think I did. I’m not sure. Anyway,” he shook his head. “Look at this beautiful Tachyon Enhancer,” he said pointing at the device on the table. “I guess you already know how it works. You just have to run fast enough and you’ll be back on your Earth in no time,” Cisco concluded.

“Thanks, Cisco,” Barry told him wholeheartedly. He turned to Caitlin as well. “Thanks guys, really, it means a lot to me.”

“We’ll do anything for you, you know that, right?” Caitlin told him. “No matter what Earth you are from.”

Barry took his doppelganger’s phone out of his pocket. “Give that to your Barry when he comes back, alright,” he told them. Caitlin outstretched a hand but Barry did not let go of the phone.

Caitlin smiled at him. “You should call him, you know,” she said. Barry nodded weakly. “We’ll give you a minute.”

Caitlin and Cisco left the room as Barry scrolled down the contact list.

“Barry?” Oliver said as soon as he picked up the phone.

“Yeah, I mean it’s the other Barry. Cisco’s just finished the Tachyon Enhancer so I’m going back to my Earth.”

“Right. Good for you.”

“Look, Oliver, I know I’ve been kind of a jerk to you and I had no right to tell you how to live your life but-”

“No, I’m the one that should be apologizing to you,” Oliver told him. Barry frowned. “You were right. What happened was my fault, if I had listened to you- I mean him- I mean my Barry, none of this would have happened.”

“Oliver, I know this might come as a shock to you but you’re not actually responsible for everything.”

“But I am responsible for what happened to you, Barry. If I hadn’t stopped being the Green Arrow then-”

“Look, Oliver, I know what it is to feel responsible for things you have no control over. I did something not so long ago, and after that I was- I was lost and confused and you know what you told me? You told me that change happens, that people make choices that affect everyone else. What happened wasn’t your fault, Oliver.”

“Thank you,” Oliver said after a bit.

“There’s something else I need to tell you. It’s about William. He knows that you’re the Green Arrow, and that I’m the Flash.”

“How did he find out?” Oliver groaned.

“He probably just guessed, Oliver. He's your son after all. You should talk to him about it, he deserves the truth.”

“I'll think about it,” Oliver told him. “Barry, be careful, alright?”

“I always am,” he replied cheekily. “Bye, Oliver.”

“Bye, Barry.”

Barry hung up and joined Caitlin and Cisco. Barry gave the phone to Caitlin before Cisco helped him fasten the Tachyon Enhancer to his chest.

“I don’t have to explain this to you, I guess,” Cisco said.

“I’ve already done this before, mostly by accident but I can do it again.”

“Try to stay focused on your own Earth while you run and you shouldn’t get lost across the multiverse.”

Barry made a face. “That’s reassuring. Thank you, guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Caitlin beamed and hugged him tightly. “It was great meeting you, Barry.”

“It was a bit freaky but really cool,” Cisco added.

Barry smiled at the both of them. Then, he stepped into the particle accelerator and Cisco closed the door behind him.

When Barry stopped running he came face to face with Cisco and his own doppelganger. The Speedster looked around him and realized he was back at S.T.A.R. Labs and had run straight to the Cortex after crossing the breach. Barry noticed the members of Team Arrow standing beside Caitlin. Felicity was beaming; Oliver was scowling, as usual; and Diggle was looking at him with wide eyes.

“There’s no place like home,” Barry said.

“Barry!” Caitlin exclaimed. She practically ran to hug him. Cisco went next, then Felicity who smacked his arm before hugging him as well.

“Where were you?” the blond exclaimed. “We were worried sick!”

“I was on this guy’s Earth,” Barry told them, pointing at his doppelganger. “Thanks for that, by the way,” he told him sarcastically.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” the other Barry said with the exact same sheepish expression as Barry himself. Barry probably would not ever get used to that kind of weirdness.

“I was going to send Barry here back to his Earth,” Cisco told him.

“That’s so unfair,” Barry groaned. “You get Cisco to open up a breach for you while I have to run all the way back here,” Barry complained, pointing at the Tachyon Enhancer on his chest.

“Sorry dude,” Cisco said.

“Hey Barry,” Barry told his doppelganger, who turned to him with a surprised look on his face. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” The both of them stepped away from the group. “No more travels to other universes for you,” Barry said sternly.

“Sorry,” his doppelganger sighed. “How's everyone?”

“They all handled it pretty well actually,” Barry informed him. “You might want to have a talk with Oliver when you get back, though.”

The other Barry made a face. “You’re probably right. Look, I really am sorry. I know he can be kind of difficult at times but I love him so-”

“I know what you mean,” Barry said quietly. “Well, good luck. I think you’ll need it.”

The other Barry smiled at him. Then, he hugged Caitlin and Felicity while Cisco opened a new breach, and waved at them before crossing it.

“Good to have you back,” Oliver said stiffly before making his way out of the Cortex. He had not even once looked at Barry.

“I guess Oliver is a jackass in every universe,” Barry pointed out.

“I’ll talk to him,” Dig cut in. He put a hand on Barry’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you back, man.”

“Thanks, Dig.”

“I should probably go with them,” Felicity stated. She hugged him again. “I’m so glad you’re home,” she told him. Barry simply rested his head on her shoulder and did not say anything.

ooo

Nothing made sense anymore. Barry had not spent more than two days on that other Earth and still Joe’s place did not feel like home anymore. Barry found himself checking for missed calls from Thea, called Felicity a few times to check on her and ended up annoying her so much she made him promise not to call until the next emergency.

Barry had still to talk to Oliver.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Caitlin asked him, clearly concerned.

Barry stopped spinning the chair he was sitting on and turned to her. He shrugged. “I’m fine,” he assured her.

“You don’t seem fine, man,” Cisco countered. “Look, I get you don’t want to talk about it but we know, Barry.” Barry frowned. “It really wasn’t hard to figure out why the other Barry ran straight to Oliver instead of trying to contact us first,” Cisco explained. “Oliver was the one to call us about your doppelganger. I would be hurt if it wasn’t so precious.”

“Guys-”

“Your doppelganger didn’t say anything important,” Caitlin told him. “He kept acting like you do when you don't want to mess up the timeline but it wasn't hard figuring it out.”

“You'd be surprised,” Barry snorted.

“Surprised by you playing house with Oliver?” Cisco asked.

“How did you-”

“I kept vibing, man,” Cisco informed him. “I could see you there but I could also see bits and pieces of your doppelganger’s life. His life with Oliver,” Cisco explained. “And let me tell you I never ever want to see your naked butt ever again!”

“You saw them?” Barry exclaimed, horrified.

Cisco nodded slowly. “I kept vibing every time I touched him,” Cisco said. “With all the tests I had to run, I had to touch him _a lot_ ,” he added.

Barry made a face. “I’m so sorry, Cisco; but hey, at least it wasn’t really me, right?”

Cisco raised his hands. “Just- Don't get frisky in the lab- or the Cortex- or the Arrowcave,” he added as an afterthought.

“How much did you see?” Barry asked in dismay.

“Too much, man.”

“The important thing is,” Caitlin cut in, “you need to talk to Oliver, Barry.”

“You know I can’t,” Barry told her. “I can’t talk about the things I’ve seen there, or the things my doppelganger might have said by mistake. We can’t let it affect our life here.”

“Barry,” Caitlin said quietly. “I think for this once you should listen to what the universe is trying to tell you.”

“You think the universe is trying to tell me something, now?” Barry scoffed.

“You didn’t see him, Barry,” Caitlin added. “Oliver was- He was-”

“He looked pretty freaked out when we realized you were missing, man,” Cisco supplied. “Which is weird considering that he is – you know – the Green Arrow and everything.”

Caitlin nodded. “He really cares about you, you know. You should really talk to him about it.”

“And tell him what?” Barry exclaimed. “You guys don’t understand what it’s like,” he said. “It doesn’t matter that they are together on that other Earth because I know I can never have this life. I know that Oliver’s not interested in me and I have to accept it.”

“I still think you should talk to him, you might be surprised,” Caitlin told him quietly. Cisco nodded.

“I’ll think about it,” Barry finally said before leaving the room in a flash.

However, Barry did not see Oliver until the two teams were gathered at Joe’s house for Christmas. Barry had tried to convince himself that he was not in fact going out of his way to avoid Oliver but it was precisely what Barry had been doing for the past few days.

Barry slowly made his way to Oliver who was leaning against the back of Joe’s couch, drinking eggnog and watching his team in silence. Barry was surprised to see him jump slightly as Barry came to stand next to him.

“Sorry to interrupt your brooding,” Barry said cheekily.

“I wasn’t brooding, Barry,” Oliver replied calmly. “I was just- thinking, I guess.”

“Huh, huh,” Barry nodded, smiling despite himself. “You’re sure? ‘cause it looked like you were brooding, man.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” Oliver told him quietly. “The things you’ve seen- I’ve seen a lot of weird things when I was away, Barry. Dark magic and things that would make even the most doubtful man question the way he sees the world.”

“I’m not following,” Barry shrugged.

“You’ve travelled to another Earth and seen a whole new version of your life. How can you- how can you simply shrug it off?”

“Just because I hide it well doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect me, Ollie,” Barry told him quietly. “Every time I travel back in time or to another universe, I feel like I’m leaving pieces of myself behind. I’ve actually seen Joe die on Earth-2, did you know that? And not so long ago, I’ve changed everyone’s life to get to spend a few months with both my parents. I’ve met people I’ll probably never see again. Do you really think it doesn’t affect me? I’m trying not to think about everything I’ve left behind because I need to move forward. That’s why I’m focusing on what I have right here, right now. Otherwise, I think I’ll just go crazy thinking of what could have been because in the end, it doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is what I have right here.” Oliver nodded slowly. “Anyway, I don’t get why you’re so worked up about this. Sure, it must have been weird meeting your boyfriend from another universe but I know for a fact that you’re not interested in me, so you really have nothing to worry about here-” Oliver tensed for a second. Anyone else might have missed it but Barry had been getting better at deciphering Oliver’s unreadable facial expressions. It might have been a side effect of his speed; everything seemed slower to him, even Oliver’s rare and fleeting displays of emotion. “Wait a minute,” Barry said suddenly. “ _Are_ you interested? Because that changes things, man,” he said excitingly. “I mean-”

“It doesn’t change anything, Barry,” Oliver said resolutely. “I’m not good at this. I’m not good for you. You could get hurt.”

“Says the man who shot me in the back with arrows,” Barry pointed out, rolling his eyes. “Besides, you said it yourself, I heal fast.”

“That’s not the point, Barry.”

“So what’s your point then? You’re kinda hard to follow.”

Oliver sighed. “I guess realizing that at least one version of me had you by his side made me-”

“Jealous?” Barry supplied with a cheeky smile.

Oliver rolled his eyes at him. “Not the word I would choose.”

“I’ll always be by your side, you know that, right?” Barry told him, taking a step towards him. “Whether it be as a mere crime-fighting partner or more, that’s up to you.” Oliver’s shoulders dropped and Barry took it as his cue to wrap his arms around Oliver’s middle.

“The team-” Oliver said weakly as he returned the embrace.

“The team will be fine,” Barry assured, pressing a gentle kiss on Oliver’s neck. “Well, except Cisco,” he added as an afterthought. “He made me promise not to get frisky with you in the Arrowcave,” Barry said quietly, kissing the corner of Oliver’s mouth.

“Don’t-”

“Don’t talk about Cisco when we’re kissing? Noted.”

“I was actually going to say _don’t call it the Arrowcave_ ,” Oliver said. “Were they happy?” he asked after a bit.

“As happy as they could,” Barry said. “As happy as I’ve ever seen you, that’s for sure. You should have seen it, Oliver; you were great with him. William adored you, and he liked me too – which was nice,” Barry told him. “I’m not sure what that whole thing says about you, though.”

“What do you mean?”

“It took you meeting a guy from another universe to finally get your shit together,” Barry stated. “Isn’t that cheating?”

Oliver shrugged. “It feels a bit like seeing the future, don’t you think?”

“Just another day in Central City,” Barry said casually. “I can’t actually get a clear picture of my future,” Barry said. “But do you know what I would see if I could?” he asked. Oliver shook his head. “You.” Oliver’s soft chuckle was definitely not the answer Barry had been expecting. “You’re laughing at me,” he noted, stepping back. “Why are you laughing at me?”

“Come here,” Oliver said with a bright smile, grabbing Barry’s arm gently and finally kissing him.

Barry closed his eyes and everything seemed to disappear for a second. Time itself seemed to stop but he could still feel his heart beating faster than ever before.

“Oh, my god, guys! Please, stop,” Cisco exclaimed from across the room. “My eyes,” he added dramatically.

“You said nothing about Joe’s couch,” Barry replied, not taking his eyes off Oliver.

“I hate you so much right now,” Cisco told him.

Barry did not answer the jab, his lips already making their way back to Oliver.

 

**THE END**


End file.
